The present invention relates to a pliable composition of matter for use as a malleable play material and, more particularly, to guar based toy gel compositions having sufficient cohesiveness which enables a high flow rheology and pleasurable tactile feel and texture character in the gel.
Through the years, play compositions of different types have been provided by practitioners in the toy arts to amuse children and adults and to aid in the development of manual skills and dexterity, as well as creativity. While the variety of such play material compositions is virtually endless, all generally involve the use of free-forming or malleable materials, such as oil base or water base gums and gel compounds which may be manipulated and shaped by the user. Certain materials have been provided which are moldable and tend to retain their shapes, such as modeling clay or the like. Others, however, have been provided which are looser and more free-flowing, such as novelty play materials and compositions. Still others are gel-like and provide interesting characteristics, such as shaking or quivering similar to gelatin dessert products.
Regardless of the type of play compositions used, it has remained imperative that such materials be safe for young children. Safety requirements have evolved through the years as safety concerns have grown. Generally, safety requirements mandate that play material compositions be nonirritating to the skin or eyes or the like, and be nontoxic if ingested. Additional requirements have been expected of these materials to avoid damage to clothing, upholstery fabric, or carpeting. In particular, polysaccharide and natural gum based play compositions are known in the art as being child-user friendly. Specifically, guar gums and starches have been widely used in toy products because they have been found to be harmless if accidentally ingested, has no unpleasant odor or feel, and is readily removable from carpet or fabrics.
The present invention is directed to a guar gum based toy gel material. Gel compositions are aqueous compositions thickened with gums, starches, resins or fine silica. The rheology of the composition may vary widely depending on the thickening binder agent used and the additives present. In this regard there has been considerable effort expended to produce pliable play materials having the desired feel or tactile characteristics. Accordingly, the smoothness or softness texture as well as the tendency for play materials to be either sticky or slippery in some degree has all received substantial attention by practitioners in the art in endeavoring to obtain an interesting and amusing feel to play gel compositions. Specifically, there is significant interest in providing a play gel material that is malleable, pliable, free flowing and have a satisfactory tactile feel; that can be used for long periods of time without drying to the point that it becomes unusable; that would not be harmful if accidentally ingested; and that exhibits a bright, shiny colorful appearance with no unpleasant odor. It was further sought to have a play material which can be cleaned up and removed from carpets and fabrics with water. It was also important to produce a composition exhibiting all of the above properties while being moderate in cost.
The discovery of the present invention is that one may formulate a superior play gel composition by combining a binder comprised of a certain guar gum selected from the group of hydroxypropyl guar (HPG), carboxymethyl guar (CMG) and carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (Carboxymethyl 2-Hydroxypropyl Ether) (CMHPG), a cross-linking agent (gellant), and water in certain amounts to form a composition of completely unexpected character in that it possesses exceptional gel cohesiveness and rheology resulting in a free flowing sticky play gel having a novel texture and tactile feel character. The nature of the instant play gel enables the use of the guar based gel in a host of play patterns for children or adults which exploit its free flowing and tactile feel characteristics.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a playable, cohesive non-toxic, toy gel composition which has a stretchable, slimy consistency and tactile feel characteristic. The gel has a healable property so that if pulled apart, upon manipulation it will re-adhere. The composition is formulated of a heavily thickened aqueous solution which is gelled with a migrating, rehealable crosslinking agent to provide a thick, soft consistency which can be stretched and hand manipulated in the nature of a xe2x80x9cblobxe2x80x9d of cohesive gelatin. The formulation provides colorants and dyes to be disolved in the composition to generate coloring to the play gel.
One property of the invention provides a rheology which allows the composition to be formed into hand or matrix molded shapes and to be integrally free flowing between fingers or down inclines. Another property of the gel is its cohesive nature which allows it to be stretched into long strands or stretched into thin membranes without breaking. A still further property of the instant play gel is its unexpected ability to conduct electricity, indicating an ionic mobility characteristic of the gel.
The toy gel composition""s consistency is provided by a certain guar gum thickening or binding agent in an aqueous solution crosslinked with a borate or zirconium ion based crosslinking agent. The guar compositions of the invention are selected from the group comprising hydroxypropyl guar (HPG), carboxymethyl guar (CMG) and carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (Carboxymethyl 2-Hydroxypropyl Ether) (CMHPG). The crosslinking borate is provided by a borate salt, boric acid, or a mixture thereof while the zirconium ion is provided by appropriate salts such as zirconium lactate. Optimum gel consistency is obtained with an aqueous solution at a pH of about 6.0 to 8.7 and having from about 0.5 to 3.0 weight percent of the guar binder and from about 0.1 to 2.0 weight percent of a borate or zirconium ion provider.
In one preferred form, a cohesive play gel composition is comprised of (i) at least 90% by weight of an aqueous portion; (ii) at least 0.5 weight percent of a guar gum selected for the group comprising hydroxypropyl guar (HPG), carboxymethyl guar (CMG) and carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (Carboxymethyl 2-Hydroxypropyl Ether) (CMHPG) and (iii) at least 0.5% by weight of a borate ion cross-linking agent. The composition further includes appropriate small amounts of preservatives, humectants, plasticizers, and colorants.
The present toy play gel composition is prepared by:
a) mixing a guar gum polymer selected from the group of guar gums comprising hydroxypropyl guar (HPG), carboxymethyl guar (CMG) and carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (Carboxymethyl 2-Hydroxypropyl Ether) (CMHPG) and water at an elevated temperature, to form a solution; and
b) adding sufficient amounts of a cross-linking agent to the solution, and mixing until a firm pliable gel compound is formed.